Africover public Domain databases available now!

Multipurpose Africover Databases on Environmental resources (MADE)
available for 10 countries!

Now you can:

- Consult the metadata on the content and characteristics of the data sets
- Visualize and browse public domain data through the Africover interactive Web maps
- Download the public domain geographic layers you need (requires free registration)
- Download the data warehouses for free,powerful, interactive desktop GIS use

The Africover Approach

The Africover Project developed a combined approach to promote the sustainable use of natural resources:

- Use of remote sensing and geographic information system technologies for natural resource as recommended by Agenda 21 and the last WSSD.

- Development of a innovative land cover classification methodology, now adopted by FAO and UNEP as the standard land cover classification system:a new way to store information and liberate it in a flexible way to answer user needs.

- Capacity building and participation of the member countries: after a training on the Africover methodology and tools, the national remote sensing and GIS officers selected by the national focal point institutions (NFPI) develop the country databases with the support of the Project. Special training is provided to reinforce the capacities in using and maintaining the data bases.

- Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) compliance: standards adopted, policies for the distribution developed, maintenance and access to the data ensured and data custodianship guidelines published to assure that data will be considered a public good available to any end user interested.

- Building Partnership and Alliances for a detailed, homogeneous global land cover serving the needs of different user communities created the conditions for the launch of the FAO-UNEP Global Land Cover Initiative.

The Africover tools

Africover is developing the tools needed to produce reliable and detailed environmental resource information: a software suite for structuring, developing, querying spatial environmental databases and strengthening the capacities of data users and producers in developing counties.

Environmental and Natural Resources Service - SDRN

The Africover initiative

The methodology, operational procedures and software tools for the land cover analysis in the Africover program have been developed by the Africover Eastern Africa module under the financing of the Italian Cooperation.

The goal of the Africover initiative is to develop a digital goeoreferenced data base on land cover and baseline geographic data for the whole Africa. more

The Eastern Africa Module

The Africover Eastern Africa module of the Africover Project has been operational in the period 1995-2002 and was signed by ten countries: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda... more

Other Africover modules

Magreb, Sahel, Southern Africa formulated and under discussion with donors, Libya ongoing.

Africover goes global:
Global Land Cover Network Program (GLCN)

The Global Land Cover Network initiative has been jointly launched by FAO and UNEP during the Artimino conference: a global alliance for standard multi-purpose land cover data production to answer user needs.